Denzel Bowles and the Dukes Get Revenge Against Marshall

JMU avenged an earlier loss against Marshall with a 80-73 victory tonight in the Convo. The Dukes had previously lost to Marshall on the road. In that game Marshall shot 26 free throws to only 11 for the Dukes. Tonight’s game was a bit of a different story. The Dukes shot a whopping 43 free throws and connected on 31 of them. The Herd were 23 of 28 from the line. Translation, this was an ugly game with a ton of fouls. Denzel Bowles just flat out dominated, finishing with 34 points and 13 boards.

Here’s a quick take on what we liked and didn’t like about this game.

Thumbs Up

Revenge: The Dukes took advantage of a rare home-and-home series with an out of conference opponent, and bounced back with a strong effort this game. The first game against Marshall was very disappointing, but might have been a wake up call for JMU. The intensity has picked up since then and the team has made some strides forward. Getting revenge for the earlier loss was another positive step.

Denzel Bowles: In case you didn’t see it above, he had 34 and 13! Those are some sick numbers that speak for themselves.

Andrey Semenov: The Dukes consumate energy guy had his first career double-double. He finished with 12 points and 10 boards off the bench. Andrey always does the little things that don’t necessarily show up in the box score. Tonight was a different story.

Depth: Unfortunately, Humpty turned an ankle and was out for the much of the game. And obviously with so many fouls being called, Brady had to rely on the bench. Luckily the reserves came through and gave Brady some solid minutes. Last game, 4 Dukes played more than 37 minutes. Tonight only Denzel did, but 8 guys got more than 10 minutes.

Thumbs Down

Humpty’s Ankle: We’re not sure how badly he hurt it, but hopefully it’s not too bad.

James Millen in Street Clothes: The JUCO transfer who played with Rayshawn Goins last season was in street clothes for the game. After being declared ineligible for the first semester, Millen was slated to start playing after exams. Unfortunately it appears as if he didn’t make grades and his career with the Dukes might be over before it started.